Stathern Pony Gymkhana

The other day I had the pleasure of being asked to photograph the Stathern Pony Gymkhana.

For those of you who don't know, an equestrian gymkhana is an even which test riders in individual racing through patterns to competing in games with necessary penalties for failure to complete the event properly.

This one hosted at Moor Lodge Farm in Stathern annually is for young children with their ponies, so every year I get the pleasure. It is particularly nice as all riders go home with a Rosette as just being able to ride them in the way these children did is incredible in itself.

What I really like about this is that although it is amazing to see the young children controlling their friends so well, you get to see the horses as the friends. You can see them just walking around the field, digging in to food and making new friends, as you may normally see a dog at such events.

There was an amazing show put on across the day despite having to compete with two other competitions locally for turnout. I can't help but feel this is partly because it is dedicated to ponies and the amazing effort some people go to for the fancy dress. This isn't anything to do with a competition, just a bit of a laugh and fun for everybody involved. We had everything from Bumble Bee's to Little Red Riding Hood so this was really fun to be able to take photo's of.

On top of this we also hosted a "Me & My Pony" competition, giving one of the lucky children there the opportunity to have a beautiful shoot in the country of them and their favourite pony. The winner will be announced shortly and I am excited for this because it will mean the opportunity to work more intimately with a horse and see the connection with the rider.